Biological cells are the basic units of life–the smallest units that can be alive and there are many types of biological cells.
Animal and plant cells have features in common, such as a nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, mitochondria and ribosomes. The biggest difference between bacterial cells and plant and animal cells is that unlike eukaryotic (plant/animal) cells, prokaryotic (bacterial) cells do not have a cell nucleus or any membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria. Does any of this sound familiar from when you were in school? Thank you to Mrs. Smith for inviting us into her lab for this great little refresher course.
In Mrs. Smith’s 7th and 8th grade science classes, students were asked to create displays of cell plant, animal and bacterium cell structures and detail the differences. Instead of purchasing items for the project, Mrs. Smith encouraged them to use things from around the house and students got quite creative.
Nice job, students!